Maggette Throws a Lure in Win-Win Proposition

An injured Corey Maggette is telling me Saturday how blessed he is to play basketball for a living, and blah, blah, blah, so I interrupt to remind him he’s playing for the Clippers, and sooner or later -- like every previous season -- the Clippers are going to take a dive.

“I feed off that,” he says, a big smile crossing his face, and I write down the date -- Dec. 10 -- and the time -- 11:25 a.m. -- in my notebook. I’ve never seen Maggette smile, and while I figure it’s because he plays for the Clippers, he explains with a straight face it’s because he usually sees me coming.

“I’m going to make you a Clippers’ fan,” he announces with excitement, “and because I really am fortunate to play on the same floor as some of the legends in this game and do something that a lot of people never get to do, I’m going to donate $500 for every win this year to the children’s hospital.”

I wonder out loud if he has plans to run for public office, or something.

“Think about that -- what a great double whammy,” Maggette says, while poking me in the ribs. “Now when it comes to the Clippers, you’re going to be excited when we win because it’s $500 for the kids, and by the end of the season you’re going to be writing, ‘Wow, the Clippers -- I love these guys.’ ”

I know he went to Duke, and he’s pretty smart, but I still spell it out for him. “If the Clippers are as good as you think, you’re going to write a huge check to Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.”

Maggette doesn’t blink. “That’s great,” he says, and nearly one quarter into the season, the Clippers are on pace to win at least 50 games and generate a $25,000 donation for the hospital. “Good. Let’s do it.”

I don’t argue, of course, because he doesn’t mention anything about anyone matching his donation.

*

A FEW years ago, I bought tickets for two neighborhood boys, the wife and I to attend a Clipper game. We refinanced the home, took out a 401(k) loan and had just enough for the tickets, parking and concessions at Staples Center.

We sat in the corner, and I began yelling at Coach Alvin Gentry to “Put Maggette in.” I liked how flashy he was, his intent on scoring, and I love that, which explains why I didn’t know there was a hockey game in Staples earlier Saturday.

The first time I met Maggette, though, we didn’t hit it off. A surprise, I know.

“You started it,” he said upon reflection. A surprise, I know. “For some reason you just bit my head off.”

The way I remember it, Maggette had an attitude, now whether that came before I treated him like Devean George or later, I can’t say. In time all that changed, and now he laughs when teased, while displaying remarkable wisdom, telling me about his own G.P., how smart G.P.’s can be, how great they are and how stupid you are if you don’t listen to your G.P.

We sat together in the Spectrum Club in El Segundo on Saturday, Maggette’s injured foot in a walking boot while his teammates practiced for a three-game test against Phoenix, Detroit and San Antonio. When healthy, Maggette was averaging nearly 22 points a game, “His incredible work ethic, and his off-season practice the thing that separates him from so many others,” Coach Mike Dunleavy gushed.

It explains in part -- while also qualifying as the ninth wonder of the world -- why Donald Sterling matched free-agent offers to keep Maggette and Elton Brand in Clipper uniforms. As a result, Sterling has never had a team like this.

I asked Maggette about his own game, and he said, “The best way for us to shine individually is for this team to shine collectively.” I paused, waiting for him to tell me his role model is Pollyanna.

I’m not complaining, though, because the kids at the hospital will love a guy who talks like Pollyanna. I’m certainly not going to tell them the Clippers have never won 50 games in a season, or that history (23 of the last 35 years) suggests it’s more likely they’ll lose 50 or more. Maybe there’s a chance ...

I’m sure some of those youngsters are counting on a miracle too.

*

I’M OFF to play in the seventh annual Jim Murray SilverRock Alumni Challenge in La Quinta, a two-day golf tournament to raise funds for journalism scholarships, while giving folks the chance to tell me, “You’re no Murray.”

Arnold Palmer is honorary chairman, and Duke Snider will be feted at the “Great Ones” banquet. My hope is to get paired with Kathy Ireland in the tournament, but the way these things go, I’ll probably get stuck with Leslie O’Neil. An ex-Charger. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled too.

*

THE DODGERS signed Sandy Alomar Jr., 0 for 17 throwing out runners, to back up Dioner Navarro, proving my point that a warm body could replace Jason Phillips.

*

A COLLEAGUE, who seems to keep an eye on things like this, pointed out pictures of Lisa Guerrero on sportsbybrooks.com, which are also available in Playboy. I took a look -- in the interests of journalism -- and think I understand now why I’ve had problems getting athletes to agree to an interview, while she never did.

For that matter, I never did get as close to Derek Lowe as Fox’s Carolyn Hughes seemed to get. I think I’m beginning to understand what Fox looks for in journalists, which might even explain why Jack Haley was hired.

T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.